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Time and time again, Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers and coach Mike McCarthy have been asked how they plan to get Desmond Bishop and Brandon Chillar – arguably their two most productive inside linebackers this summer – on the field this season.

Monday night’s practice, albeit in shells and with almost no competitive action, offered the first significant glimpse.

With Nick Barnett finally cleared to participate in team (11-on-11) drills, the Packers had their full complement of inside linebackers available for the first time all offseason. While Barnett and A.J. Hawk worked with the starters in the base defense, as was expected, the nickel package featured some interesting combinations.

On several of the nickel plays, Hawk came off the field in favor of either Bishop or Chillar. Capers didn’t run any dime (with one inside linebacker), but his willingness to use his backups at one of the spots in the No. 1 nickel spoke volumes about the contributions Bishop and Chillar have made this preseason.

Bishop has been perhaps the most active linebacker, coming up with big hits and creating turnovers, while Chillar has continued his ultra-consistent performance from last season. He’s better in coverage than Hawk, so it makes sense to use him in the nickel, which is designed for obvious passing situations.

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With Matt Flynn – the No. 2 perhaps by default – sidelined due to the shoulder injury he sustained in Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, the Packers saw what it would be like if they had to play third-string quarterback Brian Brohm.

Once again, it wasn’t pretty.

With the opportunity to run all the scout-team drills on Monday, Brohm was no better than he’s been at any time in his 1˝ training camps with the Packers.

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The Packers, like most NFL teams, might be in big trouble if they lost their starting quarterback, but at least Flynn has shown signs that he can make plays. Brohm hasn’t shown that yet.

If this were a regular-season week, perhaps Flynn could pull an Aaron Rodgers and be ready to play with an ailing throwing shoulder. But this is one of the situations where having an established veteran backup quarterback – something GM Ted Thompson has been reluctant to do – might be advantageous.

Did you notice?

♦ With Durant Brooks still sidelined due to a hip flexor, Jeremy Kapinos took all the punting reps and had his best showing to date. Granted it was in a non-padded practice against a light rush and with the aid of a nice breeze at his back, but Kapinos averaged 51.6 yards and 4.57 seconds of hang time on eight punts. Not one of his punts had less than 4 seconds of hang time, and three topped the 4.7 mark. He kicked twice from his own end zone (with the ball at the 3-yard line) and booted kicks of 51 yards (4.53 hang time) and 59 yards (4.78 seconds) and six times from his own 30. His best kick was a 59 yarder with a 5.06 hang time.

♦ Jeremy Thompson and Brad Jones flip-flopped positions with Thompson working at right outside linebacker and Jones at left outside linebacker with the No. 2 defense. It was Thompson’s first practice since Aug. 6 after missing time due to a groin injury and a shoulder stinger. Before his injury, he was a candidate to start at right outside linebacker, but he didn’t take any snaps with the No. 1 defense on Monday.

♦ Undrafted rookie running back Tyrell Sutton, one of the surprises of the preseason, showed he can pick up the blitz. He took down linebacker Brady Poppinga during a blitz period.